#blogbookaday: Grand Canyon

Summary:  “Rivers wind through earth, cutting down and eroding the soil for millions of years, creating a cavity in the ground 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and more than a mile deep known as the Grand Canyon.

Home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that have lived and evolved within its walls for millennia, the Grand Canyon is much more than just a hole in the ground. Follow a father and daughter as they make their way through the cavernous wonder, discovering life both present and past.

Weave in and out of time as perfectly placed die cuts show you that a fossil today was a creature much long ago, perhaps in a completely different environment. Complete with a spectacular double gatefold, an intricate map and extensive back matter.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review: This book would be the perfect choice for families visiting the Grand Canyon on vacation, for school reports, or for kids who lean toward nonfiction rather than fiction titles. Jason Chin does a great job of creating a strong narrative of a father and daughter hiking from the Inner Gorge to the top of the Grand Canyon as they experience how the Grand Canyon came to be showing different time periods throughout history to explain the habitats, including the climate, wildlife and rock layers. Jason’s beautiful watercolors show details of rock, flora, fauna and more through each page and in a similar style to Jan Brett, you don’t want to miss the the background and borders of each page as he provides even more in depth explanation of the Canyon.

Personal Reaction: I have yet to visit the Grand Canyon, although its on my list, and I felt that this book gave me so much information of what I would see when I do get a chance to visit.  I especially liked that the father and daughter were (and I’m assuming here) Asian American – it doesn’t necessarily affect the contents, but it’s refreshing to see. The information is easily accessible for children and at the same time I also learned a lot about this beautiful part of the country that I knew little about.

Title: Grand Canyon
Author: Jason Chin
Illustrator: Jason Chin
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: February 21, 2017

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!